Donovans: Restaurant review

Dec 12, 2016 10:40pm

Address

40 Jacka BlvdSt Kilda, Melbourne, VIC

Hours

Lunch daily noon-3.30pmDinner daily 6pm-10.30pm

Prices

E $22-$30M $34-$65D $15-$24

REVIEW

"Easy" might be the best way to describe Donovans. Staff greet you like old friends on arrival at their beach house. Wines are poured with care and conviviality and there's plenty to love by the glass. Go in the early evening. The curtains may be drawn - the reflection off the sand into the dining room is blinding - but you won't mind. You'll be occupied by a twist of smoked salmon with a buttery oversized blin, roe and pickled cucumber, perhaps, or by tuna tartare boosted with horseradish and anchovy. The garlicky pan juices are spooned over sizzling lamb shoulder at the table, but feeling this looked-after can come at a hefty price. There's magic here in spades, though: in a snappy buttermilk salad, the charming service, the sitting room with fireplace. Rollerbladers whiz past on the Esplanade as a chocolate-hazelnut bombe Alaska for two (ahem, four) hits the table. After a 20-plus year tenure by the sea, Donovans is still very easy to like.

This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide's reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant GuideWine: ★ ★ ★Gourmet Traveller's star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers' first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant's wine list. View our rating key here.